1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a ratchet wrench and more particularly to a ratchet wrench having a spring-loaded pusher carried by a reversing lever and the reversing lever having complementary ledges to retain the reversing lever in the head of the wrench.
2. Description of Related Art
There are numerous patents disclosing ratchet wrenches having a reversing lever and a pawl. Many of these wrenches have a reversing lever which is inserted from the top of the handle. Also, there are many wrenches which have an internal ledge on the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,957,377 to Hare discloses one of these devices and U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,047 to Arnold et al disclose another wrench. Chaconas in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,454 discloses a ratchet wrench in which a detent means is carried by the reversing lever and engages a pocket in the pawl. The applicant is also aware of the following:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ratchet wrench in which the reversing lever is retained in the head of the wrench by two protruding lips formed on the reversing lever.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed, in a ratchet wrench, the combination of a handle and a head having a through cavity formed therein from the top to the bottom of the head. A reversing lever is disposed in the through cavity in the head. A spring-loaded pusher is carried by the reversing lever, extending forwardly therefrom, and longitudinally aligned with the handle. A pawl is disposed in the cavity forwardly of the reversing lever and engaged by the spring-loaded pusher. The reversing lever has at least one lip protruding therefrom and cooperating with a complementary ledge formed in the head, thereby precluding upward movement of the reversing lever out of the through cavity.
Further in accordance with the teaching of the present invention, there is disclosed in a ratchet wrench, the combination of a handle and a head having a through cavity formed therein from the top to the bottom of the head. A reversing lever is disposed in the through cavity in the head having a pair of protruding lips disposed substantially diametrically oppositely of each other. A ledge is formed in the head and a ledge is formed on the pawl cooperating with the respective pair of protruding lips on the reversing lever to preclude upward movement of the reversing lever out of the head.
In addition, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed in a ratchet wrench, the combination of a handle and a head having a through cavity formed therein from the top to the bottom of the head. A reversing lever is disposed in the through cavity in the head. The reversing lever has a front portion which is cut away to accommodate the insertion of the reversing lever into the cavity from the top of the head. A spring-loaded detent is carried by the reversing lever, extending forwardly therefrom, and longitudinally aligned with the handle. A pawl is disposed in the cavity forwardly of the reversing lever and engaged by the spring-loaded pusher. The spring-loaded pusher has a substantially conical tip, and the pawl has a rearward face provided with a pocket for receiving the conical tip of the spring-loaded pusher carried by the reversing lever. The reversing lever has a first rearwardly-protruding lip and a second forwardly-protruding lip. The respective protruding lips are disposed in substantially the same plane. The head has a first ledge disposed above and cooperating with the first lip on the reversing lever. A second ledge is formed on a lower surface of the pawl. The second ledge on the pawl is disposed above and cooperates with the second protruding lip on the reversing lever. In this manner, upward movement of the reversing lever out of the through cavity in the head is precluded. A cover plate is removably secured on a shelf recessed on the bottom of the head, the cover plate being spaced from the reversing lever and serving as a dirt shield.
Also, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed a ratchet wrench having a handle connected to a head. The head has a through cavity formed therein from a top to a bottom of the head. A reversing lever is disposed in the through cavity in the head. A pawl having teeth is disposed in the cavity forwardly of the reversing lever and contacting the reversing lever. A ratchet gear having teeth is disposed in the cavity forwardly of the pawl, the ratchet gear teeth engaging the pawl teeth. In an improvement, the reversing lever has at least one lip protruding therefrom which cooperates with a complementary ledge formed in the head, thereby precluding upward movement of the reversing lever out of the through cavity. The reversing lever has an arm formed on a top thereof. The arm extends rearwardly of the through cavity and precludes movement of the reversing lever into the through cavity. The bottom of the head has a shelf recessed therein around the periphery of the through opening. A cover plate is disposed on the shelf in the bottom of the head. The cover plate supports the ratchet gear and the pawl and is spaced apart from the reversing lever. A retaining ring secures the cover plate to the head. The cover plate serves as a dirt shield.
Additionally, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed in a ratchet wrench, the combination of a handle having a head portion provided with a through cavity. A reversing lever is disposed in the through cavity, the reversing lever having a manually-manipulatable lever extending rearwardly of the through cavity and over the handle, thereby precluding downward movement of the reversing lever out of the through cavity. A pawl is disposed forwardly of the reversing lever. A spring-loaded detent is carried by the reversing lever and engages the pawl. First and second lip means on the reversing lever cooperate with first and second shelf means in the head and pawl, respectively, thereby precluding upward movement of the reversing lever out of the through cavity in the head.
Still further in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is disclosed in a ratchet wrench, the combination of a handle having a head portion provided with a through cavity. A reversing lever is disposed in the through cavity. A pawl is disposed forwardly of the reversing lever. A spring-loaded detent is carried in a transverse bore in the reversing lever and engaging the pawl. Means are provided for precluding movement of the reversing lever out of the through cavity in the head. An O-ring is disposed in an external annular groove in an upper portion of the reversing lever, and a cover plate is retained on the bottom of the head. The cover plate is spaced from the bottom of the reversing lever and with respect to the reversing lever and functions only to shield dirt from entering into the through cavity in the head.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the enclosed drawings.